Assignment 2 2025
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Due Date: 21 July 2025
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
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, QUESTION 1
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN
CONTEXT
1. INTRODUCTION
Inclusive education is a rights-based educational approach that ensures all learners,
regardless of their abilities, backgrounds, or personal circumstances, are given equal
opportunities to access, participate in, and succeed in quality education. It involves
removing barriers to learning and transforming mainstream schools into flexible
environments where every learner is welcomed and supported (UNESCO, 2020, p.
12; IESA, 2019, p. 1).
In South Africa, inclusive education carries particular importance due to the country’s
complex historical legacy, socio-economic disparities, and cultural diversity.
Implementing inclusive education is not only a matter of equity and social justice but
also a legal and constitutional obligation, enshrined in national and international
frameworks (Department of Education, 2001).
2. DEFINING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
According to UNESCO (2020), inclusive education refers to the process of
responding to the diverse needs of all learners by increasing their participation in
learning and reducing exclusion. It is not limited to learners with disabilities but
extends to all who experience barriers to learning—including those from poor
households, minority cultures, or marginalised language groups.
Inclusive Education South Africa (2019) defines it as a process of recognising and
addressing barriers to learning in a holistic manner, including physical, emotional,
social, and systemic obstacles. This means that inclusive education involves
reforming policies, curricula, teaching practices, and attitudes to create environments
where every learner feels valued and supported.
3. HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
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